This article deals with sensitive subject matter around the topic of suicide. If you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts, please contact your province’s Suicide Prevention Crisis Centres. There is help out there. On June 5th, 2018, news broke that famous fashion designer and icon Kate Spade had died. The world very quickly found out that the cause of death was suicide. She was 55. Just days after, on June 8th, 2018, passing of celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain was announced. Again, the cause of death was suicide. He was 61. Andy Spade, Kate Spade’s...

Anorexia is often incorrectly perceived as a choice an individual makes based on vanity. There’s a preconceived notion about anorexia as something that’s mostly experienced by fashion models and those preoccupied with physical beauty. Although there is an epidemic of negative body image perpetuation through mainstream media, mainly through photoshopped images which project unrealistic and unhealthy types of bodies that leave many feeling unattractive and unhappy, eating disorders are complex and complicated mental health conditions. Diet fads and messages about thinness...

Did you know that Crohn’s disease was the inspiration for the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien? The iconic film put filmmaker Ridley Scott on the map and was an international blockbuster hit. It was written by Dan O’Bannon, who was screenwriter who also spent a short time working with George Lucas as a computer animator on the Star Wars films. O’Bannon’s experience with Crohn’s disease from a very early age and according to a book, Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror, by New York Times...

People who are ill and are dealing with no diagnosis for themselves or a loved one know how terrifying it can be to have medical professionals working toward a solution, yet being unable to diagnose or treat the problem. Recently, this tale was brought to life in the autobiographical rom-com The Big Sick, based on the real life love story of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon. Written by the pair, it chronicles the story of how the interracial couple struggled to stay together, only to find Emily in an induced coma after a mystery illness threatens her...

Celebrities are human just like us. Today, we share another blog in our series on Celebrities with Long-Term Disabilities, with a focus on Chronic Pain. Click here to read other posts in the series, on Skin Cancer, Lyme Disease, Lupus, Diabetes, Epilepsy, PTSD, and Brain Aneurysms. George Clooney Hollywood actor/director George Clooney dealt with chronic pain in the wake of a serious on-set accident in 2005. While filming the political thriller Syriana in 2005, the former E.R. star hit his head during what should have been a routine stunt and has had issues ever...

Celebrities are human just like us. Today, we share another blog in our series on Celebrities with Long-Term Disabilities, with a focus on PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Click here to read other posts in the series, on Skin Cancer, Lyme Disease, Lupus, Diabetes, and Brain Aneurysms. People who find themselves in frightening, distressing, or even life-threatening situations can react in many different ways. Fear or injury or the possibility of either can immediately cause things like stress, nervousness, or panic. These are completely normal reactions to these sorts...